Vietnamese families plan their activities around their children on this special day. In a Vietnamese folklore, parents were working so hard to prepare for the harvest that they left the children playing by themselves. To make up for lost time, parents would use the Mid-Autumn festival as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation for their children. Appropriately, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Children’s Festival. Trung-Thu activities are often centered around children and education. Parents buy lanterns for their children so that they can participate in a candlelit lantern procession at dawn. Lanterns represent brightness while the procession symbolizes success in school. Unicorn dancers are also very popular in Trung-Thu festivities. Parents tell their children fairy tales and serve mooncakes and other special treats under the silvery moon. A favorite folklore is about a carp that wanted to become a dragon. The carp worked and worked and eventually transformed itself into a dragon. This is the story behind the mythical symbol, Cá hóa Rông. Parents use this story to encourage their children to work hard so that they can become whatever they want to be.
Yes, we should have packed the van and head home today, Monday, but, the graceful person I have become since my knee surgery prevented that. My legs were tired ,even tough I had my brace on,I became unbalanced and stumbled almost going down. So I called my son and asked if we could stay an extra night to rest my leg and hopefully get the swelling down.
Lil Orchid waited patiently when it was time for Uncle Nathan to get home from work (she stood on his balcony for over 45 minutes). But I never saw two bigger smiles when her tiny voice called to him when he exited his car "Uncle Nathan Your Home".
It was a nice day, so before the crowds started to descend upon us we let Lil Orchid write & draw on the walkway by our tent with chalk, she had lots of fun and met a local bike rider, Jimmy enjoying the park. He stopped to watch Lil Orchid and began a conversation with us, then Lil Orchid handed him some chalk and asked "What do you want to draw?" He clumsily made some marks and even I had trouble identifying them, but he was quick to say it had been a very long time. He also said he never imagined how such a little one could make him smile. I learned in his conversation that he and his buddy were both disabled vets. He talked quite a bit with Lil Orchid and asked her if she new her ABC's, of course she sang them to him. Then he asked if she sang anything else...he opened that door didn't he...so she sang You are my Sunshine, then God Bless America....that's when he got teary eyed and said he had to go - watching him made me tear up too.
The day went on meeting some CUTE customers whom their parents let us take their photos...Thanks!! Look at the little Beauty in Zebra Stripes and one of our Hair bows, that afternoon she won Lil Gretel 2010. Later a precious little girl's parents bought her a Turquoise knit hat & flower, and strolling in ready to take on the world this Sweetheart got two of our hair bows to adorn her head (she tasted them to make sure they were good) We were then visited by the Brightest Bengal Fan who's wearing one of our custom handprinted Bengals Hair bows.
Our first full day started with a thunderstorm and winds from the hurricane down south. After the downpour in the tent and the clean up we were just thankful that this all happened before the Festival actually started.
Lil Orchid is wearing the Pretzel dirndle skirt and petticoats, bloomers and top I made her for a festive Bavarian look. So So CUTE...don't ya think.
Got up early to drive across the river into Kentucky and finish setting up before the afternoon crowds. Got to sit down for a breif time but used that time to get some extra sewing done on my daughters knit hats and pacifier clips. Then Lil Orchid and I walked the fair grounds and checked out the very loud rides. My son drove over from Cincinatti after work and joined us, he is always such a Big Help, Thanks!
Please Check back - we are always adding new shows September 8-9, 2012
Germantown Festival, Germantown, TN
October 6-7 2012
39th Annual Ozark Arts & Crafts, Ozark, MO
October 20-21, 2012
HeritageDays, Warsaw, MO
November 10-11, 2012 Edwardsville High School, Edwardsville, IL
December 8-9, 2012
Dickens of a Christmas, Franklin, TN
Why Orchids and Ladybugs?
I wanted the name to be special so I thought of what I loved. Photography? Gardening? Creating? No, it's simpler than that, I love my family and the newest addition is my granddaughter and granddaughter to be. When my daughter and I first took long walks with my granddaughter, the streets, parks and botanical gardens were etched with every immaginable orchid. Beautiful and delicate. Thus, my sweet orchid, my granddaughter. And I'm sure you have figured out that ladybug represents my granddaughter to be. So, "Orchids and Ladybugs" two of the most precious things in my life.
I am a proud mother of two, a son and a daughter. A grandmother to one special little girl. I was lucky to be born in a very artistic family, my fathers side in carpentry, woodworking and great-grandfather handcrafted violins. My mother, well she seem to do everything and maybe in that time and age it was a necessitiy. But her cake decorating, sewing and craftmanship had no boundries and that is what she taught her children. You Can Do Anything. Now I know alot of people have the ability to sew, but what I inherited was a gift and I am grateful. So who knows what you might see on this site, a little of everything... might be woodburning, glass etching, alot of sewn projects. But definetly it will be made with Care & Love.